Written by Indu
with edits by Caleb
Our first stop in Bosnia was Mostar, a charming old city set on the picturesque Neretva River. While we really enjoyed our time strolling through Mostar, there was another advantage to calling it our home base for a few days: it is extremely close to other sites that make great day trips.
Kravica Falls is located less than an hour away from Mostar and boasts gorgeous waterfalls that you can easily access. To me, it looks similar to the waterfalls in the Plitvice, Croatia, but unlike Plitvice, you are actually allowed to swim in the waters at Kravica Falls!
Best time to visit: Since Kravica Falls is a major tourist attraction, it can get really busy on a nice day. We arrived around 9:30am during off-season (October) and were the first people there. This means we had the entire waterfall to ourselves before tourists started pouring in at 10am!
In summer, it is even more crowded, so we recommend visiting in the early morning or late afternoon.
However, the water turns a beautiful turquoise blue when the sun is directly overhead (i.e. peak visiting time for tourists) so for those “instaworthy” pictures you see online, you’ll have to visit then. We thought the falls were beautiful regardless.
Tips for accessing: We had no issue finding Kravica Falls on Google Maps. There is a parking lot right before you hit a gate and booth (hard to miss). At the booth you can purchase a parking pass (3 euro) & entrance tickets to the park (2 euro per person).
Once you enter, there are stairs and a very easy trail that will take you down to the falls. We noticed on our way back up, a few older folks were having trouble with the climb, but we found it relatively easy.
Wear shoes with a bit of traction. The stone pathway can be slippery…especially when wet.
At the end of the trail, you will be able to see a clear view of Kravica Falls. There are also a few cafes next to the falls where you can grab a drink.
If you want a closer look at the falls (i.e. you want to be right under the falls) do NOT stop here! You can either pay to take a boat across the water or do what we did–take a (free) hike through a less traveled trail.
To get to the trail, walk towards the “Toilets” signs and look for a part of the water that has a wooden foot-bridge and a little stone trail. Walk across and you will see a small dirt trail that will take you right next to the waterfalls in less than 10 minutes. Please keep in mind, these are not “official” trails, so they can be steep, uneven & rocky at places. Still, I would say it is well worth the hike!
Blagaj Tekija is 600-year-old monastery that is located at the base of a cliff, about 30 minutes away from Mostar. The monastery isn’t all that interested Caleb and I though. In Blagaj Tekija, you can see the source of the river Buna firsthand. The river runs through the town. Romantic restaurants crest the water giving you a truly serene view while you eat.
Best time to visit: Blagaj Tekija is best enjoyed if you can have a meal on the river, so we recommend visiting for an early lunch. If you are just interested in getting a picture without the crowds though, early morning is the best time to visit.
Tips for accessing: Initially, I put only “Blagaj” into Google Maps…which led us to a campground about 1.5 kilometers away from the actual site. Just navigate to “Blagaj Tekija” or “Blagaj Tekke” and you will get there easily.
Before the access point, you will see a ticket booth that you can pull your car up to and pay. The only cost is 2 euro for parking. From there, you can drive all the way down the road and park very close to the monastery.
You can see a small selection of souvenir shops and beautiful restaurants once you park. If you walk along the river on the left side, the path is nicely paved. This path gives you picturesque views of the river.
If you want to see the Monastery, just walk to the end of the river and you will eventually hit it. You can also see the source of the river from inside the monastery. We elected to pass on the monastery because it was fairly crowded.
If you are like us, and you’d prefer to have a less obstructed view, cross the bridge and walk behind the restaurant…where you will find a dirt pathway. The pathway is relatively easy to climb provided that you are in comfortable walking shoes. I made the mistake of wearing wedges. Luckily Caleb gave me a piggy back ride over the really rocky parts 😉 No one could have anticipated that trails around an old monastery, near a river, at the base of cliffs would contain–rocks…..no one.
At the end of the trail, you can get amazing pictures of the Monastery with clear views of the source of the river. The Buna river is a gorgeous blue and gets even better as the sun gets brighter.
Jablanica is one of the prettiest regions we have visited in Bosnia so far and it’s only an hour away from Mostar. Tucked away in the Prenj and Cvrsnica mountains, Jablanica usually draws people who come to see its collapsed bridge on the Neretva river.
During WWII, the Axis powers and Yugoslav Partisans were at battle. At one point during the battle, the Partisans were losing ground against German forces, and their only means of escape was to cross a single railway bridge. To throw off the German forces, the Partisans blew up the bridge so that, from the air, it would look like the bridge was impassable to the Germans. From the ground, it also looked quite impassable…to me. It worked. The German’s assumed since the bridge was ruined, the Partisans must have continued in the direction of where they were last spotted and began their pursuit based off this information. In reality, this gave the Partisans enough time to reengineer the bridge in a way that they could pass through it & finally evade German forces.
The bridge was eventually actually destroyed by the Luftwaffe. After the war, the bridge was reconstructed again and then destroyed again during the filming of a movie about the original destruction (scenes that were not even used in the movie). Really. Not making this up.
The final result was left as a tourist attraction, and a museum was built to accompany it.
Best time to visit: Jablanica is best visited during the daytime, when you can have good light to see the destroyed bridge. Jablanica is also known for great skiing in the winter.
Tips for accessing: Jablanica and the bridge are extremely easy to find on Google maps. Once you reach the city of Jablanica, look for brown signs indicating the distance to the bridge. There you will see a park & WWII museum next to the bridge.
These are just three of the many day trips you can take from Mostar. Do you have any others you would recommend? If so, comment with your suggestions below!
Good details. Pictures are beautiful including you!